North Star plays home game Thursday vs. Brennan
The North Star Wolves boys hockey team will start the 2024 portion of their schedule still looking for their first victory.
The Wolves finished the 2023 half of their WECSSAA Cullen Division schedule with an 0-3-1 record with two games right before the Christmas break.
North Star played their first two home games, the first being a 3-3 tie with the Tecumseh Vista Academy Vortex Dec. 19.
Two days later, they lost 7-2 on home ice to the Essex Red Raiders.
Kyle Jones and Ryan Grondin scored for the Wolves versus the Red Raiders. Eddie Hickson scored four goals for the Essex.
Despite the loss, North Star head coach Glen Holden wasn’t disappointed by how his team played against the Red Raiders.
“We played a good half of the game,” said Holden. “We knew Essex was undefeated and the first place team. We knew we were going to be in for a battle.”
Three AP players got into the lineup against the Red Raiders, he added, and those players had a good opportunity to get into the game and experience high school hockey.
Three Grade 12 players missed the Essex game.
“We’re off to a bit of a rough start,” said Holden, acknowledging the 0-3-1 start.
Holden said the holiday break would allow the Wolves to get healthy and regroup. This year’s team has roughly a half dozen Grade 12 players, a “small group” of Grade 11 players and “quite a few” Grade 9 and Grade 10 hockey players.
“We’re excited about the future of North Star hockey,” said Holden. “It looks like we’ve got a young group of good players we can work with and develop.”
The Wolves return from the break with a game at the Libro Centre Jan. 11 versus the Brennan Cardinals. They have a road game Jan. 18 against Lajeunesse, a home game Jan. 23 at home against the Riverside Stingers before concluding the regular season on the road in Leamington against the Cardinal Cougars.
All remaining games, weather permitting, start at 3 p.m.
By Ron Giofu
Comments